Finding Beautiful By Rebecca FriedlanderSample

Day Five: Beautiful Dreams

Scripture: Isaiah 43:1, 18–19, Psalm 34:4

Fear became a normal part of Heidi’s life. As a missionary child growing up in Mexico, her light skin and eyes made her a target for kidnapping. When a gunman seized their church one Sunday, she and her brothers ran for cover. She knew her dad, the pastor, had to be on the receiving end of the gun shots that rang out. Miraculously, no one was injured, but the fear that plagued her sense of safety drilled deeper still.

She dreamed of Prince Charming rescuing her one day, and that one day came to pass when, after many years of praying, a godly young man named Nathan became her husband. With two babies in the first two years, and a move to America, Heidi exchanged fear with a head-on collision of culture shock. Her anxiety now grew into intense insecurity, and her suspicions toward her husband were affirmed when she discovered he was embattled in addiction. Heidi escaped with her two children home to Mexico.

She had always believed in God and had seen miracles as a little girl in church, but now she needed the tangible companionship of Jesus. She recognized that Jesus was offering His hand to the trembling little girl. In her heart, Heidi turned slowly toward this offer of friendship and made the deliberate choice to turn away from her pain and toward Jesus. 

With her heart awakened, Heidi begin to feel the thrill of joy as Christ’s love found a way into her life. Through a word from a friend, caring family members, and her own quiet times with God, the pain began to lift from her shoulders as her perspective changed. For the first time in her life, she was unafraid to be alone because she understood that God was with her. Instead of knowing about God, she began to know Him as a faithful friend and daily companion, and the bitterness of abandonment began to lift.

She also sensed God asking her to give Nathan a second chance. She was convinced that God wanted to do a new thing—so she chose obedience. Together, Nathan and Heidi began to receive counsel and slowly rebuilt their life together. This time however, she learned to lean on Christ—He was her ultimate Protector, Provider, and Lover of her soul. With renewed confidence in her heavenly Father, Heidi was learning that some dreams need a second chance.

Is God asking you to lay down any dreams? What is hard about relinquishing something that once gave hope?